


Dog

by ashangel101010



Series: Three Foxes [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, M/M, Palpatine Needs to Drink Wine, Rama Wants Love, Sapatine is one-sided, Sate is a Good Dad, Triclops is Rama and a fox, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24634831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashangel101010/pseuds/ashangel101010
Summary: Sate Pestage gives the Emperor’s son a real name.
Relationships: Sate Pestage & Triclops, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious & Triclops, Sheev Palpatine/Sate Pestage
Series: Three Foxes [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764271
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Dog

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing in the Star Wars universe or anything in any universe; I just like writing stories in that universe.

Dog

*

The Empire is four months shy of being ten. It’s a milestone for a government built on the bloated corpse of the Old Republic. The Emperor has summoned him, and Sate presumes it’s to plan for the anniversary. The Emperor sits on his throne with a silver chalice in his right hand. Today’s not a Naboo holiday, so it’s not a good sign for Palpatine to be drinking such a large goblet this early in the morning.

“Sate…my son needs your assistance.” The Emperor’s son would be nine now. He remembers the baby. Pale like a ghost. Eyes as green as emeralds. A regal nose.

_He was so terribly sweet. While I was sobbing on the ‘fresher floor, he didn’t scream at me. He just laid in my arms and let the tears hit him. He only started crying when I left him with Palpatine._

“He turned himself into a fox.” Palpatine drinks deeply.

“Huh!?” Sate brays.

“He replicated the unfinished spell I once used and became a fox. An arctic fox.” The Emperor takes another hearty drink from the chalice before sighing deeply.

“D-Do you need me to watch him?”

“I need you to break the spell. I recreated the day I had with you.” His frown further mars his face. “It failed.”

“Oh.”

“Clearly, there’s something about you that _weakens_ the spell. My son will be placed in your care until the spell is broken.”

“O-Okay. Where is he?”

“Cowering under the ice mushrooms. He believes that I’m furious at him for the mess he made in my bed.” He scowls, but his golden eyes soften.

“I see. What is his name?” He watches Palpatine grimace and look down into his chalice.

_Don’t tell me he didn’t name his own son—_

“The Prophets call him… _Triclops_.”

*

Palpatine’s private garden has a special section dedicated to flora from cold planets. Sate couldn’t name even half the plants in the garden, but he knows what mushrooms look like. He breathes white puffs into the frosty climate. He goes into his pocket and quickly puts on his fur-lined gloves. He was born into a controlled environment, raised on a temperate world, and lives under the WeatherNet that. He hates this part of the garden.

But he needs to find the Emperor’s son. 

The snow-white caps of the ice mushrooms loom over the frosted ground. He catches the bristling of fur, white that blends seamlessly with winter, under a large ring of them. His eyes are green as the day as he was born, but there’s a wateriness to them that reminds him of Palpatine. But Palpatine’s eyes have never held such fear. The fox shakes with his entire body like he’s convulsing under the natural umbrella. 

“Oh no, I’m not going to hurt you.” Sate tries to make his voice sound soothing, but the words fall flatly from his own distress.

“Your father wants me to take care of you.” The fox whimpers loud enough to sound like his foot got caught in a trap.

“No, not like that!” Sate gets on his knees and feels the ice shards dig through his robes. “I want to take you home, feed you, and maybe give you a bath if you let me. I’m not your father, but I would love to help you.”

It a few more minutes before the fox stands up and nudges his head into Sate’s stomach. He scoops him up and earns a soft yip.

* 

Kinman Doriana is a friend and a tormentor at the same time. Not even after being stabbed dozens of times, in various parts of his body, will the jovial Naboo be discouraged from teasing the living daylights out of Sate, his assassin friend. However, he really should’ve kept his mouth shut this morning.

“What in Shiraya’s name is on the back of his head!?” Kinman’s screech, along with his rather harsh words, cause the fox to let out a strangled cry. Sate sees red and truly wants to kill his old friend.

“Hey, hey, calm down, Satey, I was just trying to _illustrate_ how the Kaminoans screwed you.”

“What?”

“For one, your fox has three eyes. Foxes are supposed to have only two. Also, this one is like half-albino because his eyes are green and not red.” 

“He’s an arctic fox.”

“Maybe turning the clone into another species is probably what screwed it up.”

“Clone? Oh, you think he’s Blade.”

“He has to be. Why else would you get another fox?”

“For your information, I found him.”

“From where? Hoth?”

“He will be living with me for the perceivable future until I can find him a better home.” Sate grits out and strokes the fox’s back to calm him down.

“Sate, you’re a bigger fool than me if you believe that.” Kinman then grins. “So you named him Blade II? He looks more like a Blade III though.”

“No!” Sate can’t bring himself to call the fox by _that_ name. The Prophets of the Dark Side clearly weren’t there to raise a child, but to hone a tool useful to the Emperor. It breaks Sate’s heart, more than the knowledge that Palpatine will never return his love, and he wants to give the child something decent. “ _Rama_.”

“ _Lovely_? _Pleasing_? Or do you mean _darkness_ since he looks like a spawn of Chaos?” Kinman barks with cruel laughter. 

“I mean this—” Sate throws the knife right into Kinman’s caf-holding hand and then walks away from the Naboo’s cries. Rama mewls happily for he has been avenged. 

*

A routine is established.

Rama wakes him with little yips that go alone with the chronometer’s alarm. Then, Rama waits for him outside the ‘fresher door until Sate emerges with a clean-cut face and minty breath. He gets breakfast ready for Rama: a bowl of eggs and minced fish. Then, he gets his own breakfast ready. They eat together as Sate’s music player plays opera since Rama loves music. Then, comes the debate—lasting anywhere between a few minutes to thirty—of what Rama would like to wear for today. He usually selects his favorite outfit: a red hoodie lined with bantha wool.

They have a morning walk through the local park for an hour, but, reluctantly, they return home so Sate can get ready for work. He makes sure to leave the holoscreen set to the performing arts channel since Rama is a theater fan just like his father. Rama gives him a few licks for good luck.

Work is work.

He returns home and finds Rama waiting for him with more licks. Then, he makes their dinner. They eat together as symphonic metal plays. Then, they watch a fantastical (and low budget) show about a doctor wandering through time and space for an episode before adjourning to the bedroom. Rama walks up the plasticine steps leading to bed and waits once more as Sate goes through his nighttime routine.

Sate finds Rama on the other pillow, wagging his fluffy tail. He smiles gently and sits on his side. He claps the lights off and rests his head on his pillow. Rama slinks away from his pillow and curls up around Sate’s snowy head. He falls asleep to Rama’s delighted purrs.

*

In their three weeks together, Sate knows that Rama likes to get up in the middle of the night and go into the guestroom. He knows it’s not for any bladder-related reasons, though he does make sure there’s a fresh pee pad in there just in case, and figures that Rama just needs some alone time. But tonight, he hears crying, less like a fox and more like a human child. He throws the covers back and snatches the vibroblade from his nightstand in case the child turns out to be an assassin.

He palms the guestroom door open with his free hand and keeps his blade raised. His eyes adjust to the darkness and finds a child. A naked child with long, white hair crying silently on the lavender carpet. 

“Rama?” The child lifts his head and shows his green, irritated eyes.

“I-I’m sorry, Sate.” Rama hiccups and bows his head in shame.

“Why? You’re human again—” 

“The spell broke after three days. I’ve been casting the spell every night to turn back into a fox. But the pain of transforming back kept increasing. Even though I love you, I couldn’t withstand the pain to be with you! I’m so sorry for being weak!” Rama’s cries renew. Sate drops his knife and goes to comfort him.

“Rama, you’re not weak. There’s nothing weak about wanting to be with the person you love. But I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” Rama raises his head with tears still rolling down his face.

“But if I didn’t do it, then my f-father would’ve taken me away from you. I would never see you again!” Rama trembles in his arms.

“I think after this, after we tell him why you did this, he won’t do that. I’m certain he loves you too and just wants you to be happy.” Rama smiles with newfound hope in his eyes at Sate. And he’s confident that this will end happily.

He doesn’t see Rama again for another ten years. 

*

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Comments- Here are the links: 
> 
> Here is an image of an arctic fox. Aside from having white fur, I also chose this fox because they thrive in cold environments and, considering how Rama defines his childhood up until turning into a fox as being trapped in an ice box, I thought this species of fox best suited him: [Link](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Alopex_lagopus_IMG_9019.JPG/1024px-Alopex_lagopus_IMG_9019.JPG)
> 
> Here is an image of Rama’s favorite outfit as a fox. Funnily enough, my weenie dog has this exact outfit and will only wear it in the winter: [Link](https://cdn3.volusion.com/jtska.yppsj/v/vspfiles/photos/Bentleys-Fur-Trimmed-Hoodie-R-2.jpg?v-cache=1385828156)
> 
> Here is an image of a fox loaf because that’s what Rama becomes under Sate’s loving care. And he should’ve stayed like that: [Link](https://i.redd.it/mlrnjb48agk41.jpg)
> 
> And they all would’ve lived happily ever after if Palpatine just gave Rama to Sate. I have a series that proves it, which I need to update more. Unfortunately this is not that series, so any hope that Palpatine will give Rama more love is reduced to ash. Like Jedha. Alderaan. Hosnian Prime. Byss in Legends/EU. He won’t know this until the next and final one-shot.


End file.
